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Conspiracy Bar

[ 2024 ]

[ Dimitri Bakradze 13, Tbilisi, Georgia ]

[ Exhibition ]

We have furnished an apartment with design objects based on political events that took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, as the imagined home of a young protester of the 2023–2024 demonstrations.

Objects from demonstrations were reinterpreted as domestic furnishings, merging the public and private spheres. By incorporating symbols of protest into an intimate setting, the exhibition prompted viewers to consider how external struggles influence personal spaces.The exhibition was held in October 2024, during the parliamentary election period in Georgia, creating a space to reflect on recent protests, discuss the political climate, and consider the challenges ahead.

The exhibition provided a collaborative environment for artists and integrated film and video programs.

We have furnished an apartment with design objects based on political events that took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, as the imagined home of a young protester of the 2023–2024 demonstrations. Objects from demonstrations were reinterpreted as domestic furnishings, merging the public and private spheres. By incorporating symbols of protest into an intimate setting, the exhibition prompted viewers to consider how external struggles influence personal spaces.The exhibition was held in October 2024, during the parliamentary election period in Georgia, creating a space to reflect on recent protests, discuss the political climate, and consider the challenges ahead. The exhibition provided a collaborative environment for artists and integrated film and video programs.

Demonstration in Tbilisi, Parliament Building, March, 2023

Demonstration in Tbilisi, Parliament Building, March, 2023

Demonstration in Tbilisi, Parliament Building, March, 2023

Following the Georgian government’s enactment of a controversial “foreign influence” law, massive protests ensued followed by a violent crackdown. More recently, Georgia’s parliament passed an anti-LGBTQ propaganda law, imposing severe restrictions on LGBTQ+ freedoms and rights, echoing similar laws passed in Russia.

Exhibition Views

Apartment is located in Tbilisian communal yard

Apartment is located in Tbilisian communal yard

Riot Shield Screen

Stainless steel, Collected Fabric, Vintage Rose

L170 x W4 x H165 cm | L67 x W1.5 x H65 inch

Riot Shield Screen

Stainless steel, Collected Fabric, Vintage Rose

L170 x W4 x H165 cm | L67 x W1.5 x H65 inch

The screen, functioning as a cover and a hiding place, imitates the visuals of steel shields used by police or the steel walls erected during the Tbilisi protests to deter demonstrators. Its design includes a cut-out window, where a rose — a symbol of revolution deeply ingrained in Georgian collective memory — is placed.

Part of this collection, Mom’s Dressing Table reflects the need for a sanctuary within the domestic space — a place where one confronts and reconnects with themselves.

Mom’s Dressing Table

Stainless steel, Reclaimed Oak, Rusted Iron

L130 x W40 x H160 cm | L51 x W16 x H63 inch

The Barricade Bed transforms police barricades from sculptural stainless steel furniture. Its legs mimic barricade handles, while the frame reflects their rigid structure.

Barricade Daybed

Stainless steel, Collected Fabric

L192 x W70 x H93 cm | L75x W27 x H36 inch

Barricade Daybed

Stainless steel, Collected Fabric

L192 x W70 x H93 cm | L75x W27 x H36 inch

Part of this collection, Mom’s Dressing Table reflects the need for a sanctuary within the domestic space — a place where one confronts and reconnects with themselves.

Standing Mirror

Stainless steel

L65 x W65 x H160 cm | L25.5 x W25.5 x H63 inch

Standing Mirror

Stainless steel

L65 x W65 x H160 cm | L25.5 x W25.5 x H63 inch

This lamp, inspired by laboratory glass holders, features various elements assembled along a single axis. One component is a laser housed in a box resembling a surveillance camera, projecting its beam onto a bird sculpture.

Starting from December 30, using a laser during protests will result in a 2,000 GEL fine.

Lazer Lamp

Stainless steel, Rusted Iron, Silver plating

L47 x W47 x H90 cm | L18.5 x W18.5 x H35.4 inch

Lazer Lamp

Stainless steel, Rusted Iron, Silver plating

L47 x W47 x H90 cm | L18.5 x W18.5 x H35.4 inch

Broom Hanger

Stainless steel

L130 x W40 x H160 cm | L51 x W16 x H63 inch

Broom Hanger

Stainless steel

L130 x W40 x H160 cm | L51 x W16 x H63 inch

The Barricade Bed transforms police barricades from sculptural stainless steel furniture. Its legs mimic barricade handles, while the frame reflects their rigid structure.

Conspiracy Bar - Programming

Conspiracy Bar Programming

The exhibition also reflected its concept through its openness to sharing space and collaborating with other artists. Over a span of 6 weeks, the space served as a hosting venue offering a variety of programs that included video screenings (curated by Irena Popiashvili), film screenings (curated by Salome Potskhverashvili), and experimental theater performance (presented by David Khorbaladze).

The exhibition became a platform for different communities to gather, sharing diverse perspectives and creative expressions, all united by a common desire to start dialogue, exchange ideas, and inspire solidarity, which are powerful forms of resistance.

Video Screening

Curated by Irena Popiashvili

Video screening program curated by Irena Popiashvili, this video screening program spans works from the 1970s to the late 2020s, delving into themes of revolution, resistance, and absurdity. Just as the objects in Around the Studio echo the Tbilisi demonstrations, Michel Auder’s video is a video portrait of the events of Paris in 1968. Akhunov and Hovsepyan show us an abstract image of the absurdity and impossibility of the era, while Bajevic’s video is a highly political and feminist work, where we see the oppressive and abusive side of power. Zmijewski’s work encourages different and opposing sides to dialogue through the discussion of drawings and symbols, while Frances Alÿs makes the war in Ukraine even more intense and tragic with the alarm sounded by children’s voices.

Artur Zmijewski
Single channel video, 26:30 min.

TMH, 2007

Hamlet Hovsepyan

Untitled
1976, single-channel video on monitor, 04:30 min.

Vyacheslav Akhunov
Blind Alley
2007, single-channel video on monitor, 09:00 min.

Maja Bajevic
How Do You Want To Be Governed
2009, single-channel video on monitor, 10:40 min.

Michel Auder
’68 in ’78, (video still)
May 1978

Francis Alÿs
Video, 5:35 min
Siren, Ukraine, May 2023

Film Screening

Curated by Salome Potskverashvili

Conspiracy Bar hosted a three-week film series, held on Thursday evenings, exploring revolution, civil unrest, and internal conflict. The films examined propaganda and misinformation's role in destabilizing societies. Each screening was followed by a moderated discussion, encouraging critical engagement with these themes.

Chris Marker
Documentary - Grin Without a Cat
1977 / 1993

Peter Watkins
Docudrama - The War Game
1966

Tekla Aslanishvili
Experimental documentary - A State in a State
2022

Actions to Take if Buried

Alive

Actions to Take if Buried Alive

Sound performance by

Davit Khorbaladze
Performer

Tamara Chumashvili

Sound performance by Davit Khorbaladze
Performer Tamara Chumashvili

Dato Khorbaladze’s discovery of a Facebook post titled "How to Act if You Were Buried Alive" served as the inspiration for a unique performance concept. The post, featuring an image of a person in a coffin and absurd instructions for escaping burial, was incorporated into the play UNMEMORY and later revisited in a voice performance.
In this performance, a fixed voice repeated the instructions in a 40-minute loop, evolving as it echoed with recordings. Over time, the repetition built momentum, transforming into a polyphonic system that ultimately disintegrated into noise. This sonic journey disrupted the balance between power and resistance, immersing the audience in rhythmic bursts of controlled anger.

Objects from conspiracy Bar